


Will You Lie Down Next to Me?

by QueerBluenoser, singingwithoutwords



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Political Animals, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Avengers Tower, Caretaking, Crossover, Depression, Drug Addiction, Drug Withdrawal, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friendship, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Non-Canonical Character Death, Off-screen Character Death, Past friends with benefits, Skin Hunger, Stark Tower for Stray Superheroes, Touch-Starved, tj feels
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-22
Updated: 2014-12-14
Packaged: 2018-02-22 04:03:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2493713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueerBluenoser/pseuds/QueerBluenoser, https://archiveofourown.org/users/singingwithoutwords/pseuds/singingwithoutwords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the world falls apart on TJ, he falls back on someone who's helped him cope before.  The methods this time are a little different - and a lot healthier - but Tony isn't going to turn his back on a friend, especially one as in need as TJ.</p><p>It's a good thing the other Avengers are there, because sometimes he needs a little help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

A thunderous crash brought TJ back to himself and he reeled. His head was muddled with fatigue, but he recognised the feeling easily enough. Fuck, after so long sober, he'd thrown it all away for one weekend of forgetting—and it hadn't even worked. Thinking about what he'd done sent him staggering to the bathroom and he retched. Not that he'd eaten anything recently enough to it throw up, as it turned out.

He was shaking and dizzy, knees weak, and there was no way TJ could drag his sorry ass back to his family and inflict himself on them again, not after the last time, and not after Dougie. There was pizza in the room when he stumbled back in, and he swiped a slice on his way out of the— club? Bar? Jesus, he didn't even know where he was. Hoping he was at least still in New York, he looked around for a landmark or a street sign, something to tell him where he was.

It was raining and cold, and TJ had had a coat but he wasn't sure where it was, and he didn't imagine he would ever see it again. At least his wallet was still in his pants, he discovered after patting himself down, but his watch was missing, as was his cellphone.

A few blocks down stood a familiar tower, the single brightly-lit letter 'A' standing out in stark relief against the rain-darkened sky.

 

——————————————————

 

"Pardon me, Thor; have you a few minutes?"

Thor paused in his reading and looked up at the ceiling. "Of course, Jarvis. What need you, friend?"

"Dr. Banner shouldn't be disturbed at present and Sir is away at the moment, but there is an acquaintance of his here in the lobby. I believe Sir would be most grateful if you were to accept this visitor in his stead."

Setting his book aside, Thor stood. "It is no trouble. Do you require I accompany him in the elevator?"

"Please do; the young man may require some assistance."

"Certainly."

Thor marked his page and set his book aside, and headed to the elevator. The movement of the machine down the floors was smooth as always, and a soft chime sounded as he passed certain floors.

"Jarvis, what is the young man called? I should like to address him properly."

"Though Sir calls him 'TJ', he is known publicly as Thomas Hammond."

"Thomas it is, then. My thanks," Thor added as the elevator came to a gentle stop and the doors opened.

Across from the elevator standing in front of the empty reception desk was a young man, dark-haired, wet and bedraggled. His face was pale and his eyes red-rimmed, and he trembled, though with cold or exhaustion, Thor could not tell. When Thomas looked up at the sound of Thor's steps he shied away slightly, and Thor made a conscious effort to drop his shoulders and seem less formidable.

"Jarvis tells me you are here to see Tony, young Thomas?" Thor held out his hand as he had learnt was custom. "He is away at present, but welcome. I am Thor."

"Uh, hello." Thomas shook his hand, though it seemed an automatic reaction more than a deliberate decision. "I-if Tony isn't here, I can go."

"Nonsense; I would be a poor friend of his indeed were I to turn away another, and he should return this night. Please, take your ease with me while you wait. Your clothes are sodden, and you shiver ceaselessly, and the night is cold."

Thor gestured to the elevator, though he remained at a distance he hoped would not feel crowding to Thomas. After a moment or two of hesitation Thomas proceeded to the elevator and Thor followed behind. Thomas swayed somewhat alarmingly when Jarvis began the elevator's ascent, and paired with the strain on his face Thor suspected that more than simple weariness or chill would be found the cause. The shivering hadn't lessened, either, by the time the elevator stopped on Thor's floor, even though it was comfortably warm in Stark's tower.

"Welcome, young Thomas." Thor exited the elevator and waved Thomas into the apartment. "Come. You are welcome to bathe and I have dry clothing you may wear until your own has been laundered."

His arms crossed tightly over his chest, Thomas nodded. "That'd be... really great, actually. I don't think I can feel my feet," he added with a strange and strangled laugh.

Thor ushered him in to the bathing room and retrieved clean clothing and a towel and told him to take as long as he desired before he left Thomas to his bathing and went to his kitchen. He wasn't a cook of much variety when it came to Midgard's fare but he could do well enough, and prepared a simple meal of pasta for his guest while he washed and changed. By the time Thomas emerged the food was ready, and Thor directed him to sit.

"You didn't—don't have to feed me. I'm okay." Thomas hovered uncertainly behind the chair Thor had offered him, though the look on his face was one that Thor recognised from his own youth.

"In my home I would be considered remiss as a host not to offer a meal to my guest. You need not eat if you are not hungry, but if you are I would be most pleased if you would join me." Thor pulled out his chair and sat and after a moment of silence Thomas did as well. "Excellent! Please help yourself, there is plenty."

Thor suited action to words and feigned absorption in his own meal; surely enough and to Thor's relief, believing himself under no scrutiny, Thomas served himself a portion that Thor had learnt was considered of a goodly size. Thomas was clearly more famished than he desired to reveal to a stranger such as Thor.

For a number of minutes the only sounds were those of a meal being eaten with hearty appetite, but then Thor noticed as Thomas' dark head bobbed slightly over his almost empty plate and the way he listed in his chair until he shook himself slightly and straightened. Abandoning his own meal—microwaves were a truly wonderful creation!—Thor stood and circled the table to place a gentle hand under Thomas's elbow. Thomas blinked slowly at him, and then at the hand at his elbow.

"I believe you are sorely in need of rest, Thomas. There is an extra bedroom which you are more than welcome to make use of."

"N-no, it's fine. I'll just wait for Tony. On the couch. I'm fine."

Thomas tucked his arms into his sides and pushed back from the table; he wobbled slightly but made it to sit on the couch without incident. Thor allowed him his distance while he tidied the supper things away, though he kept an ear open for any sound that might indicate distress. When he returned to his chair and his book, he saw that Thomas had fallen asleep and leaned sideways to rest his head on one of the 'throw pillows' littering his couch. Face slack in sleep, Thomas looked deeply weary in a way that both surprised and concerned Thor, especially in one so young.

A small shiver prompted Thor to go to the spare bedroom and turn down the blankets on the bed there. Thomas moaned fearfully when Thor gathered him up in his arms, so he spoke to him with words learnt at his mother's knee and Thomas subsided into a more peaceful sleep. Thor placed him carefully in the bed and then covered him warmly, and after a moment of contemplation fetched his book and settled himself in the armchair in the corner of the bedroom.

 

——————————————————

 

A disadvantage of automatic doors, Tony reflected, was that one never got to have the satisfaction of slamming them when frustrated.

“Jarvis, make a note! I hate airports. And waiting for air traffic control. And next time I’m just going to take the suit, damn what Pepper says.”

“Noted, Sir,” Jarvis responded as Tony leaned against the wall of the elevator with a sigh, letting his chin fall to his chest.

“Penthouse, J.”

“I would recommend a stop at Thor's floor, prior to returning to the penthouse; I took the liberty of allowing Mr. Thomas Hammond access to the tower earlier tonight, and he is currently resting in Thor's spare room."

Tony snapped his head up fast enough that he nearly brained himself on the wall. "What's TJ doing here? I mean, of course he's welcome, thanks for letting him in, but why is he _here_?"

"He gave no purpose other than to see you; it was his physical state—"

"Is he hurt? Did he get attacked? Should I call—"

"If you would allow me, Sir...?" Jarvis interrupted, reproachful.

Tony waved a hand. "Yeah, okay, get on with it."

"I could discern no injuries, but he appeared deeply exhausted, drenched and without proper clothing for the weather. I contacted Thor, and he took Mr. Hammond to his suite, sent him to shower and gave him dry clothing, and fed him. When Mr. Hammond fell asleep in his living room, he transferred him to the guest bed and has since kept watch."

"Yeah, he's gonna feel pretty freaked out if he wakes up there and there isn't anyone around that he knows. I'll take him to my floor; get the heat started in the room across from me and Bruce."

"Of course."

There was silence until the elevator stopped at Thor's floor, and Tony went down the hall and into the spare room without hesitation. Thor was settled in the armchair in the corner, lamp casting a soft glow over his solid form. He set his book aside as Tony came in and rose from the chair.

"Welcome home, friend. I see Jarvis has told you of your young guest." Contrary to popular belief, Thor was quite capable of speaking quietly, a fact for which Tony was grateful.

"Yeah. Thanks for looking out for him Thor." Tony scanned TJ's slack face in the lamplight. "Jesus, he looks wrecked."

"Indeed, he seemed quite weary when he arrived. You plan to escort him back to your own chambers?"

Tony nodded. "He won't do well waking up to a stranger in the morning." He moved and sat on the edge of the bed, shaking TJ's shoulder gently. "Hey, TJ, wake up. C'mon, Tomcat, it's Tony—hey, there you are." Tony interrupted himself as TJ groaned and stirred under his hand.

"Tony?" TJ croaked. He cracked one eye open and looked blankly at Tony for a long moment before he seemed to realise what was going on. "Oh, hi."

Tony snorted. "Yeah, hi. Come on, we're going up to my place."

It took more chivvying than Tony had anticipated to get TJ onto his feet, and he swayed alarmingly when he was finally standing, prompting Tony to curl an arm around his back. Even now standing, TJ was barely awake, his eyes open not even halfway.

"Thanks again, Thor; I'm gonna get this guy upstairs and back to bed."

"Truly, it was no hardship. Rest well, friends," Thor answered as he followed them to the elevator. "May you have good dreams."

By the time Tony had gotten TJ to the spare room, his friend was starting to wake up a little bit more. Sitting TJ on the edge of the bed, Tony gave him a nudge.

"Hey, you need anything?" When TJ just looked at him blankly, Tony prompted, "Water?" TJ nodded slowly, and Tony gave him a pat on the shoulder and went to fetch a glass.

When Tony got back, TJ had moved to sit with his back pressed against the headboard and his knees drawn up to his chest. Tony held the glass out until TJ uncurled and took it in one slightly trembling hand.

"So what's brought you to New York? The family here, too? I, uh, thought you guys were sticking close to home for a while?"

"I," TJ's voice cracked, and he gulped at his water. "I couldn't—they just. I had to, to get away, but then I slipped. Jesus, Tony, I didn't mean—"

"Hey, hey, deep breath, Tomcat, calm down." Tony rescued the glass from TJ's hands, now shaking in earnest, before he could spill the water all over himself.

"Oh, God. I—the wagon, I fell off the fucking wagon. I don't even know what I did this weekend."

To his horror, Tony realised that TJ had started to cry, and for lack of any better ideas he reached out and put his hand on TJ's knee. "Hey, it's okay—"

"It's _not_ ," TJ almost shouted. "I promised, I promised Dougie I'd stay clean, but I couldn't, it's been so _hard_ , God, so fucking hard, and I can't, I can't keep going, I haven't—there's nobody, they all just pretend like—but I can't do it any more, fuck, I can't, I _can't!_ "

TJ hunched forwards and buried his face in his hands, shoulders shaking with the force of his sobs and oh Jesus, shit, what was he supposed to do with this? Tony looked around wildly, hoping something in the room would inspire him. Shit, TJ was gasping now, huge, agonised gasps, and, and keening, Tony couldn't think of any other word for it. Tony scrambled up onto the bed and sat down next to TJ and put an arm around his shoulders. TJ made an awful whimpering noise and leaned sideways and curled in Tony's lap.

"Jarvis!" Tony said sharply, even more concerned when TJ didn't seem to notice him speaking. "Get Bruce up here, I don't know what to do with this, he must have some idea, just get him."

"Immediately, Sir," Jarvis responded, good old J, but shit.

It felt like an age before Bruce hurried in, though it was probably only about ten minutes, and though the flood of wretched tears seemed to have slowed, TJ remained shuddering in Tony's lap. Tony had moved to rubbing up and down the worryingly prominent bumps of TJ's spine while he waited, drawing on childhood memories of his first Jarvis for inspiration.

Bruce came immediately to perch next to Tony on the bed. "Jarvis gave me the run-down,” he said quietly, a pained looked passing over his face as he looked at TJ.

"What do I do, Bruce? What am I supposed to do?"

Bruce gave him a slightly bemused smile. "You're doing it, Tony. You're doing just fine, I promise."

Tony leaned sideways to rest his head on Bruce's shoulder. “What am I doing?”

“Being there.”

 

——————————————————


	2. Chapter 2

He felt like he’d been hit by a truck. He was warm, tucked up in a bed and surrounded by softness, but TJ still thought he should be asking for a license plate number. His head pounded viciously, and everything ached. Shifting, he gritted his teeth and -

There was someone else in bed with him. Fuck. Shit. What did he do last night? He went to Tony's, right? Didn't he? But who -

"Tomcat, it's okay, it's me, it's Tony."

Ohthankgod.

TJ opened his gritty eyes, squinting a bit into the dimness. He was tucked in against Tony's side, while Tony half-reclined against the headboard on a couple pillows. He tried to lift his head and couldn't help but moan a little at the way his neck seized up.

"Hey, take it easy, " Tony's cool hand cupped the back of his neck. "You probably hurt like hell, god knows what you were doing all weekend." Callused fingers rubbed gently. "I never did manage to get much out of you last night. Bruce brought us water and pain meds, though."

TJ managed to get himself upright against the headboard with a little help from Tony, who shook a couple of pills into his hand and handed him a glass of water. TJ was so hungry he felt hollow, although he was sure that huge blond guy last night had fed him. He couldn't remember if he'd eaten otherwise over the weekend, though. He often hadn't during his binges before, the coke giving him all the energy he'd needed.

Tony grabbed his hand just before he took the pills. "Wait - if you take them you have to eat. Bruce said so."

"I - okay, but... okay." TJ sipped the water carefully, not sure how his stomach would take it. "Do you, uh, cook now?"

Tony laughed quietly. "I'm not going to poison you, Tomcat, promise. Come on, breakfast."

He drank some more water—shit, his mouth tasted like ass—then let Tony take the glass from him and scooted painfully to swing his legs over the edge of the bed. TJ stood and then found himself groping blindly for the bedside table when his head spun and his vision went grey.

“Hey, hey, you’re okay,” Tony’s voice was distorted by the roaring in his ears as a warm arm wrapped around his waist. “We’re gonna sit back down—easy does it.” The bed was under him again, and a firm hand on his back bent him over to get his head between his knees.

His stomach lurched, and TJ moaned and swallowed hard.

“Deep breaths, buddy—in your nose and out your mouth, okay?” Tony moved and there was some clattering, and then something cool and damp was on the back of his neck, Tony’s hand rubbing firmly along his spine.

Thankfully, the nausea and vertigo ebbed without incident. TJ straightened slowly; Tony's hand stayed on his back the whole time, seeming ready to push him back towards his knees if necessary. TJ hissed as his, well, everything protested the movement, but finally found himself sitting up on the edge of the bed.

“Maybe you should lie back down and I can bring you something?” The hand on his back practically vibrated. “You’re really, uh, the, uh, white-faced look is not a good look on you. Maybe I’ll just bring—”

“No.” TJ shook his head, then winced when it throbbed. “I’m so stiff—moving might help a little.”

“Yeah, but—”

“Tony.”

Tony sighed, and moved to stand in front of TJ. “Fine, you stubborn brat. But I’m gonna hold on to you, there is no way I’m dealing with your mother if you break that face in my house. Nope. Don’t care how much it’d improve your looks.”

“You're scared of my mama?”

“Your mother is on my top five list of terrifying ladies, I’ll have you know—keeping company with Pepper and an ex-Russian assassin-spy.”

It almost made TJ smile, but he couldn’t quite manage it, and he stood when Tony grabbed his elbow a little tighter than probably necessary. When nothing spun or greyed out, TJ shook off Tony’s hand and took a couple of careful steps. He was a bit weak in the knees, but thought he’d be able to manage a trip to the kitchen, so nodded at Tony’s questioning look.

Tony stepped up beside him. “Let’s get you something to eat, then.”

 

——————————————————

 

"Doctor Banner, you asked me to let you know when Sir and Mr. Hammond were up."

Bruce looked up from his book and pushed his glasses up his nose. "Yeah, thanks, JARVIS. Has Tony remembered that TJ needs to be fed and watered?"

"It appears so."

"Will wonders never cease?" Bruce mused aloud.

"I doubt this wonder ever shall," came the dry response.

Chuckling a little to himself, Bruce got the steel-cut oats that he had left to soak and the eggs from the fridge. The eggs went into one pot and the oats into another, and then he got a cutting board and considered what fruit to slice for the oatmeal. Bananas, apples....

"JARVIS, have we got any peaches left from Steve and Thor's trip to the farmers market over the weekend?"

"There are several in the refrigerator in the common kitchen; shall I ask one of the others to bring them up?"

"If you'll keep an eye on the pots, I'd rather go get them."

"Certainly."

Bruce took the elevator down to the common floor and found Thor and Steve in the kitchen with massive sandwiches and the newspaper between them.

"Hi, Bruce," Steve said with a wave, and Thor nodded around his mouthful of sandwich.

"Hey, Steve, Thor."

"Thor was saying one of Tony's friend's showed up last night?"

Bruce glanced up from the inside of the huge fridge to analyse Steve's expression, then chided himself for second-guessing his intentions. "Yeah, he's just waking up."

"Is he well?" Thor asked, concern displayed openly on his face. "He was quite chilled when he arrived last night."

"He's mostly exhausted, I think," Bruce hedged; he wanted to avoid mentioning TJ's addiction without his consent. "And Tony said he's having trouble dealing with losing his brother."

Steve looked pained—of course, everyone knew the story of Captain America's best friend—and Thor nodded.

"Aye, he felt most heartsick.”

“You’re making him lunch?” Steve’s polite smile seemed a touch forced, but Bruce wouldn't deny him the out.

“Well, more like breakfast, yeah. I just came down to get some peaches,” he held up the fruit. “JARVIS is watching the pots for me, but I should get back up there.”

“Let us know if there’s any way we can help,” Steve said firmly, and Bruce smiled.

“I’ll make sure we do, thanks.”

Bidding them goodbye, Bruce headed back to the elevator and the penthouse. The eggs were done, the oatmeal nearly so, and he was just slicing the fruit when voices in the hallway alerted him to Tony and TJ’s approach; he finished cutting the last of the banana and turned in time to see TJ shuffling stiffly into the kitchen with Tony hovering at his elbow. TJ was very pale, his eyes dark-circled, and his features were sharp enough to raise concern. Bruce was familiar with faces at varying degrees of too thin, and wondered at the cause.

“Tomcat, this is Doctor Bruce Banner. Bruce, this is TJ Hammond,” Tony made the introductions with almost none of his habitual flair as he pulled out a chair for his friend; he was worried.

“Hi, Dr. Banner,” TJ said, and the smile he offered reminded Bruce of Tony in press photos. He was tense under the rumpled clothing.

“Just Bruce, please, TJ. Any friend of Tony’s,” Bruce answered, giving a small smile of his own in exchange. “Your privacy will be respected while you’re here; none of us will talk to the press, so try not to worry about that.” He shrugged a little. “I know we’re new people for you, but I felt it important to get that out of the way.”

TJ looked taken aback for a moment, then the press-face was back, if a little wobbly. “T-thanks. Not that I thought you would, but thanks.”

“You can trust them,” Tony interjected quietly from next to TJ. “Really.”

A glance at Tony was all it took for TJ to nod and visibly relax a bit; his shoulders slumped and the press-face lessened into a smile that was less intense but seemed no less false to Bruce.

Bruce got glasses from the cupboard and set them in front of Tony and TJ, then took cutlery from the drawer, paused, and set it down on the counter. Tony raised an eyebrow.

“Bruce?”

That drew TJ’s full attention back to Bruce, who couldn’t help but ache a little inside at the resignation in that false smile. Whatever this young man expected, it wasn’t what Bruce had to say.

“It’s—you don’t have to be okay, here in the Tower. Any difficulties you’ve been having, you won’t find judgement here. It’s okay to not be okay. That’s something else important for you to know.”

TJ was sort of gaping at him, so Bruce turned back to the stove to let him have a moment without a stranger’s eyes on him. There was a noise like a strangled sob. Bruce pulled the pot of oatmeal off the burner and got bowls from the cupboard, and fished the eggs out of their pot. Tony was saying something not quite too quiet for Bruce’s sharpened hearing, so he let the dishes clatter a bit as he spooned oatmeal into bowls and slid the slices of fruit off the cutting board onto a plate.

"I didn't want to make anything too fancy, so we've got hardboiled eggs and oatmeal, and some fruit to go in it, if that's how you like it, and there's milk, honey, salt, butter, all those things as well.”

Bruce reached across the table and set bowls in front of both men, then followed them up with the plate of fruit and the eggs in another bowl. “Dig in.”

“Are,” TJ paused and cleared his throat, “are those peaches?”

“Is that okay? If you’re allergic, I can get you something else; they’ve probably touched all the other fruit by now.” Bruce hadn’t considered that, and winced internally.

TJ quirked a tiny smile, one hand creeping up over the edge of the table towards the plate of fruit. “Actually, peaches are my favourite.”

“Well, help yourself,” Tony said, nudging TJ gently in the side. “They can go on the house grocery list if you decide to stay a while.” He turned in his chair to face Bruce. “Hey, big green—”

“Yes, I remembered your maple syrup,” Bruce rolled his eyes and turned to get the syrup off the counter behind him. “You’re the one that always forgets these things, not me.”

“I’m not that bad! …Am I that bad?”

“One word, Tony: strawberries.”

Of course, then Bruce had to explain the joke to TJ as Tony made dramatic faces in response.

They even managed to get a proper smile out of him.

 

——————————————————

 

While TJ slept again, Tony busied himself with finding his friend’s wayward cell phone—a Stark phone, good for him, but that made it so very easy that Tony was a little disappointed—and wirelessly transferring the contents to a new one from Tony’s stash. He also turned the old one, now in the possession of a mystery person that had called some very dubious numbers in the last couple of days, into a sleek and stylish paperweight.

Tony was a bit worried that TJ had needed to sleep again so soon after waking up, but he had spent several days in a row ramped up on coke and who knew what else, so he supposed it only made sense it was catching up to him as TJ came down off the drugs. Some judicious internet research seemed to support this idea, so Tony decided to try not to worry too much about the exhaustion unless it continued on past what was average for cocaine withdrawals.

The new phone started buzzing madly as Tony finished the setup, text after text after missed call notification flashing up on the screen, and he winced a little. Looked like TJ was going to have some damage control to do when Tony woke him up to eat again later on.

The sound of the lab door opening drew his attention, and he glanced up to see Bruce with two mugs.

“I’ll love you forever if that’s coffee,” he said, and Bruce quirked a lopsided grin at him and passed him a mug.

“Was there ever any doubt?” he questioned as Tony took a deep breath, inhaling steam and wonderful coffee scent.

“Not really. You always know when to bring me coffee,” he replied, and drank close to half the mug in one go. God, that was good.

A warm hand rubbed the small of his back, then trailed up his spine to squeeze at the knots in his neck. Tony moaned and let his head hang forward.

“So why don’t you tell me how you know the famous TJ Hammond so well, hm?”

Tony flinched a little as Bruce ground at a particularly stubborn spot…and at the question. “Remember when we first got together, I mentioned the possibility of people from my, er, checkered past showing up?”

Bruce chuckled. “Yeah, I remember. And I remember telling you I didn't really care, and that I had some of those folks of my own.”

Tony took a deep drink of his coffee. “Well, TJ and I—we had a stint in rehab together, not too long before A-Afghanistan.”

Bruce set his mug down on the worktable and his other hand joined the first; his thumbs dug deep into Tony’s tense shoulders and pushed at knots in the trapezius. Tony had to consciously drop his shoulders from where they had started to hunch up.

“We, uh, may not have dealt with being in rehab in a way that one could consider… healthy.”

A snort from behind him. “Tony Stark using an unhealthy coping mechanism? Perish the thought.”

“We fucked,” Tony finally blurted. “A lot.”

The hands on his shoulders stopped moving, and Tony’s gut churned. Bruce gently—so gently, did Tony even deserve such tenderness?— pushed at one shoulder and pulled the other until Tony turned to face him. Tony crossed his arms defensively over his chest, eyes on the floor; he didn't want to see the look on Bruce’s face. There was a moment of silence, then—

“Oh, Tony,” Bruce murmured, and a callused thumb stroked his cheek.

Tony risked a glance up at his partner’s face and winced at the sad expression, and dropped his gaze back to the floor.

“Come on, none of that,” Bruce said quietly, then tugged Tony with him across the room until they were both sitting on the couch in the corner of the lab.

“If, if you don’t want me to spend the night with him like last night again, that’s okay. I mean, nothing happened, but it’s okay if you don’t want me to. But, would you maybe let him stay—”

Warm lips cut off his babbling with a kiss and Tony couldn’t help but submit with a shudder.

“Do you plan to have sex with TJ because he’s here?”

“No, I’m with you now, and it wasn’t even a good idea then, but it just kinda happened—”

“Tony.” Bruce’s tone was firm, and Tony let his eyes come up to see his face. “I trust you. I can’t say that about many people, but I can say it about you. I’m not worried about TJ being here.”

Tony sagged with the release of tension he hadn’t realised he’d been holding onto. “Oh,” he said faintly. “That’s. I’m glad. Because you don’t have to be.”

Bruce pulled Tony sideways until he was cuddled into Bruce’s side, head resting on his shoulder. “TJ can stay if he wants to. You can stay with him if you want to. I know you’re worried about him, and from what I gathered last night, you have good reason to be.”

Tony gripped tightly at a fistful of Bruce’s shirt. “I really am.”

Stroking a hand up and down Tony’s back, Bruce threaded the other through his hair, scratching gently at Tony’s scalp. “How about you take a nap? I bet you were on high alert the whole time you were with TJ and came awake at every sound he made, huh?”

“I - maybe. Might have done.” Bruce’s fingers felt so good in his hair.

“So get a bit of sleep; Jarvis will wake us if TJ gets up, won’t you, Jarvis?”

“Of course, Sir.”

The lights in the lab dimmed considerably, and Tony felt as Bruce flicked the throw from the back of the couch over him. He shifted a little bit, and Tony moved with him, until Bruce had one leg tucked between Tony and the couch back and the other foot braced on the floor. Tony was tucked between his legs and curled into his chest, one of Bruce’s hands still running up and down his spine in a steady, soothing motion. With the steady beat of Bruce’s heart under his ear, Tony closed his eyes and let sleep pull him under.

 

——————————————————

 

This took rather longer to get done than I had hoped, but school was so busy, and then there was unpleasant medication stuff going on that basically massacred my intended timelines for all of my everything of life, lol. Hoping to get the next chapter out sooner than this one! ::crosses fingers::

I hope everyone is enjoying it so far? We love to hear what you think! (/shameless & obvious begging)


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